Perfect for Halloween parties or treats for neighbors, these Halloween Cookies couldn’t be much easier! Festive sprinkles make these cookies perfect for any spooky celebration.
From Pumpkin Snickerdoodles to Witch Fingers, you have to have all the cookies for Halloween!
As much as I’d like to be, I’m not one of those Pinterest moms.
I don’t decorate to the 9’s for every holiday. I don’t have perfectly themed activities all month. And I get overwhelmed if things are too complicated or time consuming.
Which is one reason these Halloween Cookies are perfect for me. They are basically not any harder than making any other kind of cookie. Minimal hands on time, no chilling – cookies on the table in only about 40 minutes.
This is the kind of holiday treats I can always get behind!
Ingredients
- Flour: You will need all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder: These are soft cookies, and the baking powder helps to give them the lift that keeps them from being dense.
- Salt: I like to use fine sea salt in these cookies. If you use table salt, you’ll want to cut the amount down to 1/4 teaspoon because it doesn’t dissolve as fast so it will taste saltier.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, cut back on the amount of salt you are adding. You want the butter to be slightly softened, but not overly softened.
- Sugar: You only need granulated sugar for this recipe.
- Egg: I always use large eggs.
- Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract will give you the best flavor.
- Sprinkles: Not all sprinkles are created equal! Read the section below to hear what kind of sprinkles are my favorite.
How to Make Halloween Cookies
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, and salt) together. Set this aside.
Step 2: Beat the butter until it is smooth.
Step 3: Add the sugar and beat this together for a minute or two, until light and fluffy.
Step 4: Add the egg and vanilla and beat it all together.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined.
Step 6: Use a 2 tablespoon scoop to make balls of dough Roll the balls in the sprinkles.
Step 7: Bake the cookies until set on the edges but still soft in the middle.
Choosing the Right Sprinkles
I learned back when I made the Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies that not all sprinkles are the same.
For the best results, you want sprinkles that are not too heavy, and sprinkles that do not have any larger pieces, like balls. The larger the sprinkles, the more they will melt and make a mess. Plus, they are harder to eat because the sprinkles will still be crunchy. If you see the orange, gray, and black sprinkle mix on my cookies, you can see that the balls start to mess and they don’t look as good.
Our favorite sprinkles, both for the way they looked and for the flavor, were the long jimmies. I picked my sprinkle mix up at the grocery store, but you can easily find Halloween jimmies online, as well.
I also like to add on some edible eyeballs to really make them look like Halloween cookies.
Tips and Tricks
When rolling the cookie dough, I like to make the dough taller instead of in a circle, which makes a thick, soft cookie.
These cookies are best when they are slightly underbaked. I like to take them from the oven when the center still looks under-baked, and they will continue to bake and set up as they cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
More Halloween Recipes
Pumpkin Cheesecake Spider Cookies
Candy Corn Fudge
Mummy Hot Dogs
Witches Brew
Dark Chocolate Cake with Nutella Buttercream
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Halloween Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt*
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat liner.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- In another bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth. Add the sugar and beat for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat just until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat just until it all comes together.
- Use 2 tablespoon scoop to make a ball of dough. Roll the ball in the sprinkles, pressing them in with your hands to adhere them to the dough. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart.**
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are set, but the centers are still soft. I like to bake the cookies one sheet at a time, but if baking both at the same time, rotate half way through the baking time.
- Let the cookies cool for several minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a cooling rack or a parchment lined surface to cool completely.
Vanessa says
how many cookies does this recipe yield? do you put the eyeballs on before or after baking?
Deborah says
The recipe makes about 14 cookies. You will add the eyeballs before baking – at the same time you add the sprinkles.